March 7, 2009
Final Stats
UTEP vs. Memphis Game 1 
UTEP vs. Memphis Game 2
EL PASO, Texas - The UTEP softball team opened conference play in good fashion on Saturday, sweeping a twinbill from Memphis, 14-12 and 12-4, at Helen of Troy Field to improve to 13-11 and 2-0 in Conference USA play. The three-game series concludes on Sunday at Noon.
Chelsea Troupe was 7-for-9 (.778) at the plate and belted two home runs to bring her season total to a team-high seven. Troupe also ended the day with five runs, a double and eight RBIs.
Camilla Carrera also blasted two long balls to bring the Miners' total to 30 for the season. Carrera batted .750 (6-for-8) and contributed five runs, two doubles and plated five.
UTEP scored a combined 26 runs in the doubleheader while tallying 31 hits, but committed nine errors, six of which directly resulted in runs for the Tigers. All nine were in the opening game as the Miners' defense bounced back errorless in the nightcap.
Stacie Townsend was the starting pitcher for Game 1, but was relieved after five innings of play. She allowed nine runs (only four earned) and struck out seven. She came back in the top of the seventh inning to earn her second save of the season.
Kelly Curran (4-3) received the win despite only tossing one inning of play. Chelsea Mayer (1-1) hurled her way to her first career victory as the starting pitcher in the nightcap.
Memphis was first on the scoreboard, after a series of three errors plated three runs for the Tigers.
UTEP answered back in the bottom of the first with two runs of its own, including a two-run blast by Troupe to bring the Miners within one run.
The Miners scored once in the bottom of the third, added two in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead.
UTEP's defense tripped in the top of the sixth, committing four errors that allowed Memphis to score seven runs for the 10-6 advantage.
But the Miners took batting practice in the bottom of the frame, lacing seven hits. They drew a walk and a hit-by-pitch and Carrera's two-run long ball added to the Miners' six runs to take a 14-10 lead.
The Tigers would get two more runs in the top of the seventh but that was all they could muster up as Townsend fanned the final two batters of the game for the 14-12 victory.
UTEP walked away with 16 hits, but the Miners' nine miscues tied for ninth in NCAA recordbooks.
The Miners bounced back in a big way in the nightcap, as UTEP's coaches made some defensive changes.
Amber Bennett, who has played her last three seasons at third base moved to shortstop and proved she could handle the switch, as the senior made four putouts and two assists.
The Orange and Blue opened the second game of the double dip with three runs, including a two-run RBI-single by Townsend. The sluggers scored two more in the second stanza off Troupe's second homer of the day good for two runs.
The Tigers were able to get on the board with one run in the top of the third but UTEP answered with five runs in the bottom of the frame that started with a walk by Becky Smith. Ashley Collazo laced a single to right field and a fielding error by Memphis' Tori Gross helped Smith get home and put Collazo in scoring position.
Bennett hit a single into the left-center gap, driving Collazo home. Troupe followed with a single to center field that scored Bennett, and advanced on the throw as the Tigers tried to force out Bennett at the plate. Troupe stole third before the next pitch.
A double by Carrera plated Troupe. Carrera advanced to third off a passed ball and scored off a sacrifice fly by Townsend. By the end of the inning, the Miners had a 10-1 lead heading into the top of the fifth.
Memphis scored two runs in the fourth inning off a double by Jessica Phillips and held the Miners scoreless in the bottom of the inning.
Memphis pushed the score to 10-4 after four-and-a-half innings of play, but UTEP pushed it to 11-4 after off Carrera's lead-off home run.
After holding the Tigers scoreless in the top of the sixth, UTEP scored its mercy-rule run in the bottom of the stanza off an RBI-double by Troupe.
